Prior art remotely controlled model vehicles, such as model aircraft, model helicopters, model cars, model trucks, and the like, are typically sold as a complete operating system, including a model aircraft, a plurality of servomechanisms for controlling the throttle and the control surfaces of the model aircraft, a controller for controlling the model aircraft, and a receiver for receiving control signals from the controller and for providing signals to the respective servos for controlling the flight of the model aircraft.
Controllers and receivers have traditionally been matched in frequency, or have a plurality of selectable frequencies or channels. Both the controller and the receiver must be on the same channel or frequency for the receiver to receive control signals from the controller. For example, receivers/controllers are commonly available with between 2 to 50 channels. Due to such variances in the number of channels and the frequencies utilized, a controller for one model vehicle is generally not useable with a different model vehicle. Thus, each time that a model enthusiast wishes to purchase a new model vehicle, he/she has been required to purchase a complete system such that the controller and the receiver are a matched set and are capable of communicating with each other.
Further, it is often necessary to change the initially selected operating channel or frequency when using the model vehicle near other users or model vehicles to avoid having two model vehicles which are operating on the same channel or frequency. Of course, when the channel or frequency is changed, the change may be to a channel or frequency already in use by someone else, thereby necessitating still further change such that all model vehicles in the vicinity are operating on different or distinct channels or frequencies. Similarly, the prior art 72 MHz frequency controllers need to use different frequency pins to assure that the controllers are operating on different frequencies to avoid interference.
The controller is typically an appreciable portion of the cost of a completely packaged model vehicle. It is not uncommon for the controller to be the most expensive component of the system. Thus, the cost of the complete model vehicle system limits the number of model vehicles which many users can afford. In order to alleviate these affordability issues, Horizon Hobby, Inc. of Champaign, Ill. 61822 has previously marketed certain model aircraft under its Plug-n-Play trademark. One such model is the Mini Pulse XT PNP model airplane. These Plug-n-Play models were supplied with the motor and the micro-servomechanisms preinstalled on the model vehicle. However, a battery pack, controller, receiver and charger were not included. Since the controller and the receiver had matched frequency capabilities, the user could conveniently remove the battery pack and receiver from one Plug-n-Play model and quickly install the battery pack and receiver on a compatible Plug-n-Play model. Thus, the costs associated with owning multiple model vehicles were reduced since the same battery pack, receiver and controller could be used with multiple model vehicles. Nevertheless, some users would prefer not to incur the inconvenience in swapping the battery pack and receiver between different model vehicles.